A massive transparent cylinder inside an Osaka, Japan, retail shop creates extra display space within a mesh steel cage.

The structure was realized by Japanese designer Noriyuki Otsuka to fit inside an existing 278-sq-m clothing store. He says while the space is almost fully decorated in monochromatic white, there is nevertheless a colourful result as white is the essence of the three primary colours: red, blue and green.

‘By using white, which integrates all colors, the design is intended to create a space where the colors can be felt,’ Otsuka says. ‘I was conscious that if I based my design on the functional requirements of the space like the number of products that could be displayed, I would end up with an interior resembling a fashion retail megastore.’

The white steel mesh is set in building concrete and its overlapping areas create a graphic moiré pattern. The structure respects traditional Japanese kekkai design, whereby lattices are used to divide spaces while not creating visual obstructions.

‘My intention was to create a space that seems like nothing, but is something and seems like a blend but is transparent,’ Otsuka says.

Photos courtesy Hiroyuki Hirai.